


What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks?

by a1_kitkat



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Boys Kissing, First Kiss, High School, M/M, Malex, Not Beta Read, Pre-Canon, Secret Relationship, Valentine's Day, museum kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 13:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17767463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: Valentines Day is Alex’s favorite holiday, he just won’t tell anyone it is until he finds his Romeo & things he’s ashamed of don’t seem so scary anymore





	What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks?

**Author's Note:**

> ITS 3AM BUT I HAD TO WRITE A VALENTINES DAY FIC!!!
> 
> Kinda pre-canon but then loosely ties into events currently happening in the series (up to episode 4 I guess then goes off on its own tangent)

It was his favorite of all the holidays, loved it more than Christmas or Halloween. He’d never exactly been a romantic himself but it was the one day of the year that he’d allow himself to believe in love.   
It had started when he was six and his father bought home a dozen long stemmed roses for his mother. She’d been so surprised, or had acted surprised he’d later learn, and had immediately put on her best dress. It was a tradition his parents had kept up every year of their marriage until fate took it from them.  
Every year, Alex would sit by the window and wait for his father to appear then he’d watch his mother practically swoon with the love she felt for her husband. It had been a happy, loving marriage but Valentines Day was the one day it truly showed.

As he got older, he started to imagine what his own Valentines day would look like, what traditions he would share with his one true love. At first they were simple, roses like his father used to bring home though the recipient was usually just a blurred shape or a famous celebrity he’d seen on TV. Until he started listening to himself, to what or who he wanted and his Valentine quickly became a strapping man who often resembled a young Richard Gere from the film Pretty Woman (his mother’s favorite movie).  
The first Valentines day after her passing, Alex went up to the attic and sat by the window. He looked down upon the yard in the hopes his father would still bring roses home, would keep the dream alive just one more year but he didn’t even bother to come home. So Alex stayed by the window and imagined a handsome man in the yard, calling up to him like Romeo had called to Juliet. But no one came and the Valentines Days he’d loved were officially over.

His brothers had teased him, of course, assuring him that his Romeo was out there somewhere, no doubt galavanting about in tights. Unfortunately his father had walked into the room in time to hear Alex declare he wanted his Romeo to be wearing nothing but a smile.   
The beating he’d received for his joke took several weeks to completely heal but they didn’t destroy his love for Valentines Day.

Once it was clear he would never see that look of blissful love on his fathers face ever again, Alex stayed away from home on February 14th. He’d leave at the crack of dawn and head to the florist where he would buy a single red rose (anything more was out of his budget) that he would then take to his mothers grave.   
He went to school once on Valentines Day but seeing all his classmates happy and in love was like a dagger in his heart. Perhaps his Romeo was out there somewhere but he definitely wasn’t in Roswell... 

Until he was.  
Michael Geurin came crashing into his life and his entire world was thrown into chaos. It was strange for Michael had been there all along and despite having several classes together every year, they’d barely spoken to each other. Until the day Alex had been riding his skateboard through the halls of the school only to have Michael step in front of him. With no way of stopping, Alex crashed right into him, causing them both to fall over, destroying the box of decorations Michael had been carrying.  
Detention was the next step and Alex’s punishment was to help repair the destroyed decorations for the upcoming school dance. He hadn’t even known there was an upcoming dance.

He spent three afternoons helping make new decorations then a Saturday detention to help turn the school gym into paradise. The funny thing was that Michael hadn’t seemed to want to be there either but was clearly under Isobel Evan’s thumb. So Alex found himself spending a lot of time with Michael and in that short time, he found he actually liked him.  
Nearly everything Michael said was pure snark but Alex could tell it was all bravado. There was something behind his eyes, a pain that Alex himself knew all to well. The connection was solidified when he saw the bruises on Michael’s stomach.

As a joke, Alex decided to attend the dance so he could have a laugh at how whipped Isobel had Michael but before the night was over, he found himself at Michael’s side, helping run the refreshment table.  
It was a night to remember, watching his classmates have fun and do stupid things. It was over too quickly and he even found himself back at school the following day to help with the cleanup.

To thank him for his help, Michael offered to walk him home from cleanup duties. Alex was beyond torn; he wanted to spend more time with Michael but he didn’t want there to be the slightest chance Michael would cross paths with his father. The only logical thing to do was find another activity to do with Michael. Twenty minutes later, the two teens were breaking into the ‘currently under refurbishment’ UFO Museum.  
They walked around the exhibit, pointing at things they found interesting. Michael shared his opinion that if Aliens did exist, why would they choose Roswell of all places to land. Alex just shrugged and reasoned that maybe it hadn’t been there choice, maybe they were stuck here, too afraid to come out of hiding from fear of being rejected, unaccepted. A pain he was too familiar with.

He wasn’t even sure Michael had been listening to him. The moment the words had left his mouth, he felt an arm around his waist. It pulled him closer and he looked at Michael with a confused glint in his eye while his heart leapt into his throat.  
Michael’s lips were on his and Alex completely lost himself in his first kiss. When they finally parted, he leaned his forehead against Michael’s and placed his hand upon his chest where he could feel the other man’s heart racing.

“You probably won’t believe me but I’ve been wanting to do that for weeks” Michael admitted.  
“Weeks?” Alex gasped.  
“Since that day you came to school with that bandage on your cheek. It was the first time I noticed your lips”  
Alex swallowed back any response.  
“It’s why I stepped in front of your skateboard. It was the only way I could think to get your attention”  
“You could’ve just asked me out. You know, instead of getting me put in detention”  
“Would you’ve said yes?”

They both knew the answer. There was no way Alex Manes could say yes to a date with an attractive guy without his dad beating him into the middle of next week.  
“Guess we’ll never know now” Alex said.  
“Say you’ll meet me here on Thursday night”  
“Okay”  
“Okay?”  
“Yes, I’ll meet you here on Thursday night”

*

Thursday night saw him sneaking back into the closed museum despite the fact that he knew he needed to be at home. No, he was expected to be at home, not needed. He was required to be at home but he wanted to be here with Michael.  
Michael was already waiting for him, had cleared a small spot on the floor with a picnic blanket and a tiny tree covered with battery operated lights.

“You actually came” Michael’s face was alight with relief and happiness.  
“I promised I would” Alex replied as he moved towards Michael.  
They wrapped their arms around each other and held the other close.  
“I thought there was a chance you’d rather be with your family”  
“No, I’d much rather be with you”

Within minutes they were kissing again, hands clawing at clothes until they were both in a state of undress. They sank to the ground; lying together on the picnic blanket, they both touched each other more intimately than either of them had touched another but that was as far as they went.  
Curled up together, with Michael’s arms around him, Alex whispered that this was the best Christmas he’d had since his mother had passed. In turn, Michael admitted it was the best Christmas he’d had. Period.  
They stayed there all night, talking about anything and everything. Alex shared stories of happier times with his mother and horrific stories of beatings from his father. Michael told the story of the time his foster father had locked him in a walk-in freezer on Christmas Eve. Alex did all he could to kiss away Michael’s pain.

After that night, they became secretly inseparable. They kept up appearances in front of their friends and everyone else but whenever the opportunity arose to be alone together, they took it. Michael would take Alex out to the site of the crash, it was fitting since their first kiss had been at a UFO Museum. Best of all, no one ventured out there so they had all the privacy they needed.

Valentines Day was just around the corner and Alex had found his Romeo but he’d never let Michael know that. Their relationship had sprung up practically overnight but in the weeks they’d been exploring it, it had grown into so much more. Yet it was still too early to say those three little words they were both thinking.  
There was another dance at school but neither of them were going to show their faces at something as lame as a Valentines day dance. Michael had other plans for them, he just hadn’t told Alex what they were yet.

So Valentines Day dawned like any other, Alex made his usual trek to the florist to buy the rose for his mother but when he got there he was surprised to find his order, six roses which he hadn’t ordered, was already paid for. He took the flowers to the cemetery then decided to skip school. He wasn’t going to cope around all those happy couples while not being able to flaunt his own happiness with Michael.  
He trudged home, happy to have the house completely to himself, and collapsed on top of his bed. There had been no plans made between him and Michael but he knew in his heart that Michael was the one who’d paid for his mother’s roses.

He heard a tap at the window and sat up, made his way across the room and pulled back the curtain. Michael was standing in the backyard, staring up at him. To Alex’s relief, he wasn’t wearing tights. Alex opened the window.

“Guerin, what are you doing?” He called down.  
“What light shines up at the window?” Michael called out.  
“Guerin!” Alex was laughing.  
“So I haven’t read Shakespeare, big deal”

Michael jumped onto the trellis and scaled the side of the house. Alex was terrified he would fall or, worse, be spotted by a neighbor. Once he was safely inside, Alex closed the window and turned to look at him. He couldn’t believe Michael Guerin had just climbed the side of a building for him.

“You once told me how much of a sucker you were for Valentines Day” Michael confessed “and since you gave me a memorable Christmas, I wanted to make this a special Valentines for you”  
“Michael-“ Alex didn’t know what to say.

He watched as Michael reached up and from around his neck produced a daisy chain which he hung over the head of Alex’s bed.  
“I couldn’t afford anything nicer” he explained “had to buy some roses this morning” Alex could feel the tears brimming in his eyes “but I stayed up half the night making this”  
“You know how to make a daisy chain?”  
“Isobel taught me”  
“It’s not going to last”  
“Neither will roses” Michael wasn’t wrong “but the last part of your gift will”  
“Michael, stop” he was trying to blink back the tears “I didn’t think this was really your thing so I... I didn’t get you anything”  
“Its okay, I got something for both of us”

Michael reached into his jacket pocket a pulled out a box of condoms.  
“I love you, Alex Manes” Michael said as he held Alex’s gaze. “Will you let me show you just how much?”  
Alex was nodding his head yes before Michael had even finished speaking. He wrapped his arms around him, pulled him close and kissed him with as much love and passion as he possibly could.

It escalated quickly, as they hastened to remove jackets, shirts, shoes and belts but once the layers of clothing slipped away their actions slowed as they fell onto Alex’s bed. This was new territory for both of them, neither were exactly sure what to do but both were equally eager to figure it out together. They kissed and caressed each other for a long time, both taking their time to bring the other to the brink but neither ready to be the first to tip over the edge.  
It was sweet and tender yet awkward and a little painful as they navigated their way through their first time. Michael took immense pleasure from fingering Alex’s sweet spot to the point the other was practically purring with desire but Alex got his own back later that afternoon once the roles and positions were reversed.

They lay together in a tangle of arms, legs and Alex’s sheets. Each listening to the beat of the others heart.  
“Thank you” Alex whispered before kissing Michael’s chest. He placed a trail of kisses all the way up his body until he reached his lips “thank you for... the perfect Valentines Day”  
“Thank you for sharing it with me”  
“Always” Alex whispered “I love you”

*

For the next ten years, on Valentines day, Alex’s emotions got the better of him every year. Memories of his parents stirred in his chest; being so far from home and not being able to take a rose to his mother always brought a tear to his eye. Being deployed, watching his fellow servicemen struggle with being away from their loved ones did little to help his mood and every year, on Valentines evening, he would crawl into bed and remember the day Michael had told him he loved him for the first time. He’d fall asleep to memories of making love to Michael, holding him, kissing him.

When he finally returned to Roswell, to find Michael still there, their feelings and their attraction to one another still very obvious, he wasn’t fooling himself. They had one week together, rekindling the flame that had never stopped burning, but it too had come to an end, thanks to him listening to his father.  
Even after he fled town, took refuge in the hunting cabin Jim Valenti had left him, his mind and heart remained with Michael Guerin.

Valentines day was still a long way off but Alex was compelled to make up for all the years he’d missed. On his mother’s birthday, he made the trek back into town but this time with flowers from the garden at the cabin. He drove to the cemetery and made his way over to her grave which was in pristine condition. He was genuinely surprised that his father was maintaining it so well.  
He placed the flowers upon the headstone then, with tears streaming down his face, he poured his heart out to her, wishing she was still here to offer him advice.

He stayed for a long time until his good leg had gone numb then it took him a long time to get back on his feet. The groundskeeper was happening by at that time and offered him a hand. Alex thanked him for his assistance and for the great job he was doing to maintain the site. He confessed it was not his doing but that of an outsider, who visited once a week to keep the site clear.  
For the first time ever Alex wondered if he’d missed the redeeming qualities his father must possess only to be proven incorrect when the groundskeeper informed him the mystery man in question was coming up the path right now.

Alex turned around, not ready to face his father but even less prepared to see Michael Guerin. He hadn’t seen him since their falling out at the drive in. He saw that Michael was holding gloves, shears and a rose in his hands. They stared at each other for so long that the groundskeeper walked away.

“So, you come here often?” Michael said to break the unease.  
“Not as often as I’d like” Alex replied. He watched as Michael placed the rose upon the headstone, next to the flowers Alex had bought.  
“You’ve done all this, while I was away?” Alex asked him.  
“I knew it was something you would’ve wanted... for her not to be alone in your absence”  
“And now that I’m back?”  
“Its been ten years, I wouldn’t feel right not visiting on her birthday”

Michael reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, somewhat crushed daisy chain which he also placed upon the headstone.

“And that?” Alex whispered, the memory still too fresh in his mind.  
“These I used to make all the time” Michael confessed “every night actually. Because I was scared I’d wake up in the morning to hear news that something had happened to you and I needed to know that I could make the perfect chain if I ever needed one to place on your grave”

Michael’s voice was strong but the tears were streaming down his cheeks at the very thought of losing Alex. He moved towards him, his crutch slipped from his hand as he wrapped his arms around Michael and held him tight.

“But I came back, Michael” he whispered in his ear.   
“I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost you over there” Michael confessed.  
“You didn’t lose me, I always come back to you”  
“I love you, Alex Manes”  
“And I love you, Michael Guerin, you’ll always be my Romeo”  
“Does that make you my MacBeth?”

Alex laughed as he rested his forehead against Michael’s.  
“I still haven’t read any Shakespeare” Michael confessed.  
“I noticed” he chuckled. “I like that some thing’s never change”  
“Including the way I look at you?”  
“And the way you kiss me, like we’re the only two people in the world”

Michael smiled to himself then proceeded to kiss Alex just like that. Like they were the only two people on Earth and nothing would ever come between them.


End file.
